Overlooking the capital city of Guatemala, the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple stands on an elevated site in the neighborhood of Vista Hermosa on the eastern side of the city. A missionary training center and patron housing facility are also part of the temple complex. Six soaring spires surround the landmark building. The beautified ground are open to the public.

The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was originally named the Guatemala City Temple.

John O'Donnal, an American who moved to Guatemala at age 24, traveled to Salt Lake City in 1946 and again in 1947 to plead with the president of the Church to send missionaries to Guatemala. Four elders arrived in December 1947, and the country was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel. O'Donnal later became the first president of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.

Sister Carmen O'Donnal—the first matron of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple—was also the first native of Guatemala to be baptized into the Church.

Udine Falabella, who was the president of the first stake created in Guatemala, organized the first temple trip from the area to the Mesa Arizona Temple. Later, he became the fifth president of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.

During the two-week public open house of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, 24,206 people toured the edifice before its dedication. Volunteering at the temple were 179 missionaries, working in six-hour shifts. About 3,700 copies of the Book of Mormon were distributed, most of which had personally written testimonies inside by Guatemalan Saints.

Central American Saints traveled from near and far to attend the dedication of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. Participating nations included Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

Civil War embroiled the nation of Guatemala at the time the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was dedicated. In recognition of this strife, President Gordon B. Hinckley prayed in his dedicatory prayer: "May there be peace in the land. May it be preserved from revolution and war." By 1996, a peace accord had been signed.

"Temple. One other word is equal in importance to a Latter-day Saint. Home. Put the words holy temple and home together, and you have described the house of the Lord!"